US STOCKS-Futures inch up as earnings head for higher gear

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

* Futures up: Dow 13 pts, S&P 0.25 pts, Nasdaq 6 pts

By Sruthi Shankar

Oct 16 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly positive start for Wall Street on Monday as investors pondered a solid initial round of third quarter company earnings and awaited a further flood of results this week.

* Netflix shares were up more than 1 percent ahead of earnings due after the market closes, having hit a life high on Friday.

* 55 S&P 500 companies are expected to report this week. Out of the 32 that have reported so far, 84.4 percent have beat earnings expectations, according to Thomson Reuters data.

* However, reactions have been muted to bank results so far. Wall Street investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley report on Tuesday.

* World stocks and commodities got a boost from upbeat Chinese data on Monday, while U.S. oil futures jumped to a near six-month high as escalating tensions between the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces threatened supply.

* However, inflation data on Friday showed September consumer prices came in below expectations.

* Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said on Sunday that the U.S economy remains strong and the strength of the labor market calls for continued gradual increases in interest rates despite subdued inflation.